La Union / Border Crossing

This is a typical ride for me: Head north through the Upper Valley, connecting to Hwy 28 and up to La Union, then take La Union Road to Alvarez to McNutt to Artcraft to the Border Crossing, returning via Airport Road and McNutt to Country Club. It's about 32 miles total (actually 36 from my home, but I use River Run Plaza as the starting and ending point for maps). Here's the link (map is shown below the post):

http://www.mapmyride.com/route/us/tx/el%20paso/168127144731919989

This is a good everyday ride because it has a lot of variety and not much traffic. I feel pretty comfortable riding while listening to my iPod on these roads.

The first 15 miles are pretty much of a warmup. Then there's the climb up Artcraft, which get the heart pumping. By the time I get to the overpass just the Airport Road intersection, I'm ready to crank up the speed for the 5-mile flat stretch to the border crossing and the five miles back. Then there's the downhill cruise on Airport and a short jaunt back to the starting point.

I always cut through the University of Phoenix parking lot 1) to avoid the stoplight at McNutt and Country Club; and 2) it makes a fun bicycle slalom course as I make my way around the speed bumps.